We were planning on spending two weeks because the guys had a project they wanted to work on. Kris had dreamed of having a workshop to do his woodworking, plus storage for his tools. He has a little shed where the tools and machinery are spilling out for lack of space or having to move it out of the way to find what he needs.
According to Kris, this isn’t very productive when working on a project and he spends half his time trying to find the right wrench or whatever he is needing. So the plan was his dad would come out and help him build a workshop.
On another front, his wife, Naomi, was in her last week of realtor school and her final was on Thursday. So for the next few days, she was sequestered in the house studying.
That first evening, Kris came to the trailer and it was wonderful to reconnect with him. Then we got down to business and discussed the plans. He was really bummed because he brought us out to help and the price of lumber was so high that he wouldn’t be able to obtain the supplies to finish the job. So after throwing ideas around, we decided to look at some prebuilt sheds the next day.
Now let’s talk about the subject of trains. If you’ve ever lived near one then you’ll know what I’m talking about. Out in the country, you might hear the clickety-clack of a train as it passes over the rails, but in town, it’s a different matter. The engineer is required to blow his whistle as a signal that he was approaching a crossing. Not just a whoot, but a whoooooot, whoot, whoot, whoooooot.
The first night as we nestled down in our bed the train came down the track. I swear it sounded like it was right next to the trailer, but it was about 3/4 to a mile away. It kind of reminded me of the house I lived in Colorado. It was directly under the flight path for Stapleton International airport. Talk about window rattling. I remember being on the phone and telling the other person “Just a minute” while the plane came in for a landing. Eventually, it became background noise and we ignored it.
Anyway, the train went on its merry way and I fell asleep, only to be awakened by another one, maybe one more before morning came. As it was with the airplanes the bothersome noise ceased to jar me from my dreams.
The next morning as we ate breakfast I again heard the church bells. I recognized the hymns and hummed along. These were delightful moments throughout the week as I worked on my projects and the guys worked on theirs.
What projects? Before I left home I put together card kits to complete while the men built the shed. These cards are Christmas cards that are sent to the troops to pick some out to send to their loved ones at Christmas. So Christmas for me happens all year long. Now, what was the project that the men were to work on? Stay tuned to the next installment of a Trip of a Lifetime.
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